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French press review 24 September 2016

Le Monde looks at the disastrous humanitarian situation in Yemen, site of the Middle East's forgotten crisis. Alain Juppé warns that hysterical rhetoric about Islam could lead to civil war in France. Is it a good idea to give everyone a guaranteed minimum income? And what was the French president tweeting about to pop start Rihanna this week?

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Le Monde publishes an interview with the head of the aid organisation Doctors Without Borders in Yemen. He says the world is blindly allowing a repeat of the humanitarian crisis situation already evident in Syria and Iraq.

The conflict in Yemen is the forgotten war in the Middle East. Eighteen months of fighting have forced the president into exile (he currently lives in Saudi Arabia) and left anti-government forces in control of large parts of the country. There has been virtually no international diplomatic effort to find a solution, the great powers more concerned with Syria, the Kurdish problem, and the fight against Islamic State.

Reduced to its simplest terms, says Le Monde, this is a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, part of the regional battle between sunni and shia muslims. All attempts at negotiation have failed; neither side seems to have the military muscle to win an outright war.

In the meantime, Unicef estimates that 20 million Yemenis no longer have access to fresh water or toilets, that half the national population is undernourished, that medical help is practically unobtainable. Nearly three million people have been driven from their homes. Who cares?

Alain Juppé calls for an end to the hysteria about islam

Also in Le Monde, Alain Juppé, current favourite to win the right-wing presidential primary, warns that a continuation of the hysterical approach to islam and security, as exemplified by his rival, Nicolas Sarkozy, could well plunge France into civil war.

The mayor of Bordeaux warns that part of the French right has decided that there is a fundamental incompatability between the muslim religion and republican ideals. Such thinking can lead only to conflict. Juppé says he is interested in advancing with all those who look to the future, rather than engaging in vain debate with those lost in some mythical past.

Trump goes looking for a few black voters

Le Monde also looks at the US presidential race, where an opinion poll for the newspaper USA Today suggests that no more than 4 per cent of black voters support Donald Trump, compared with 92 percent who say they'll vote for his Democrat rival, Hillary Clinton.

Since that poll was published, Trump has visited Detroit with Ben Carson, the only black runner in the early stages of the Republican primary race. He promised a new civil rights programme, more jobs and the building of schools.

French socialists prepare for the worst in parliamentary elections

The main story in right-wing Le Figaro looks at socialist fears of a total disaster in next year's parlaimentary elections.

The party's director of elections is playing it cool, saying that recent polls have given the left-wing organisation between 130 and 180 seats. Which would be far from disastrous, even if a long way from the socialist parliamentary group's current 289 deputies. And with a huge number of constituencies likely to come down to four-way second round fights, thanks mainly to the rise in popularity of the far right Front National, the socialists could actually do a lot better than even sceptical left-wingers themselves expect.

Why money for nothing is a great idea

The editorial in left-leaning Libération is headlined "Let's try!"

It's a heart-warming plea in favour of giving everyone a minimum income, whatever their situation.

This, says Libé, will do away with the scandal of extreme poverty in a rich country, and will allow people to live in dignity while they search for suitable jobs.

Current suggestions are for a minimum income of 800 or 900 euros per month. Prime Minister Manuel Valls wants to start with those in the 18 to 25 age group.

There's no shortage of criticism . . . from those who reject all forms of "assistance" because, as Libé puts it, they've sanctified their selfishness and turned it into an ideology. Yes, admits the left-wing daily, there is a danger that some people will lapse into laziness, that the scheme will cost a lot. But the benefits are obvious and enormous. Let the government start a pilot programme to see how it works. Then the serious debate can start.

The pop singer and the French president

And Libé gives front-page prominence to this week's polite exchange of tweets between the French President, François Hollande, and the pop singer Rihanna.

On Thursday, the star asked the president to look at a letter she had sent him on the Education Can't Wait project, a Unicef initiative which, it is hoped, will get an additional 14 million kids into schools.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry replied immediately to say that France was on the case. Then François Hollande got back on the tweeter, with versions in French and English, assuring Rihanna that she'll soon get his detailed response and that education is his No 1 priority.

Rihanna has done better than the musician and actress Courtney Love, who famously tweeted the president asking him to get his ass to the Paris airport where Ms Love was trapped because of a dispute between taxi drivers and other transporters. That day, François did not reply.

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